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Saturday, October 29, 2016

Black Lake, Kootenai County, Idaho

Channel limits size of boats that can access this lake. No boat launch on lake.

Black Lake... Our next lake is Black Lake at 308 acres with a depth of 10-30 ft. The channel to this lake can be potentially hard to find as it blends in well with its surroundings. Sorry there is just no feature that stands out to mark the channel to this lake, however when coming from Harrison you will know you have passed the channel when you start to see a ranch with a series of white fences on your right (E.) or vise versus pass the white fences. Once in the channel you will have to pass under a bike bridge (4’ high, 8’ wide, with water depth of about 4’) with a Black Lake sign on it. Very tight fit for some mid draft boats to get under this bridge. When exiting from the channel there is a telephone pole in the water which is a good feature to use to help you find the channel again on your way back out.

This lake has a deep and rocky shore line and with high hills almost all round the lake, quite stunning, and weeds on the east end. It also has the most homes around it out of all the chain lakes, yet this fact does not seem to distract from its beauty or wildlife; I saw my first beaver on this trip in the Black Lake channel. This is also an excellent fishing lake. It is also a nice lake to water ski/tube on but please stay in the middle of the lake so your boat wake does not annoy the lake side residents. There is a public dock on the east end of the lake with no boat launch, restroom, or running water so you can launch a kayak off the dock by carrying it down a short steep trail to the dock. You will have to paddle some distance to get through the grass and lily pads, there is limited amount of space to park (2 vehicles without trailer). To access the lake and public dock from HWY 3, turn onto Black Lake Rd. and follow the signs to the Black Lake Boat Public Dock: http://www.co.kootenai.id.us/departments/parkswaterways/facilities/BlackLake.asp Notice: Black Lake Marina is not longer open to the public. Maps: View Google Map below...

The Black Lake channel entrance is the hardest to find due to no visible markers and it blends in well with the river bank